Game apparatus



Dec, 7, 1937.

H. E. WILLIAMS GAME APPARATUS Filed Deo. 13, 1935 y HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 7, 1937 UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME APPARATUS Harry E. Williams, Chicago,

Ill., assigner to Application December 13, 1935, Serial No. 54,201

4 Claims.

This invention relates to game apparatuses. It is an object of this invention to provide an improved game apparatus which is relatively simple and inexpensive in construction and eilicient in use.

In a game apparatus of the so-called pin and marble game type it is customary to employ an elevating device for elevating the balls, upwardly, one at a time, from a point below the ball playing surface up to the level of the same. Many different types of ball-elevators have been used, such, for example, as spring-urged' elevators, electrically operated elevators, and the like. One of such elevating devices is that shown and described in the MacDougall Patent No. 1,983,811 granted December 11, 1934, and in which the action of a ball closes circuit to an electromagnet which, when energized, operates the ballelevator or carrier so as to elevate the ball from a point below the ball playing surface up to the level of the same. It has been found, however, from experience in the art, that in the use of a ball elevating device of the types heretofore known, there is a decided tendency for the ball elevator or carrier to elevate the ball too rapidly, that is, the ball carrier or elevator gathers momentum and its speed increases rapidly, during its ball-elevating stroke or movement, so that when it reaches the upper end of its stroke it is moving at a relatively rapid rate of speed and consequently discharges the ball too rapidly and violently out onto the ball-playing surface. This is objectionable for a number of reasons among which are the fact that the ball thus elevated and discharged too rapidly out onto the playing surface tends to overrun its mark, that is, to go beyond the point where it is desired to deposit it, and it tends to bound against and strike the glass top of the cabinet and break the same, as well as having other objectionable features with which persons skilled in the art are familiar.

It is, therefore, another object of the present invention to provide a ball-elevating device for a pin and marble game which will overcome the foregoing and other difiiculties experienced in the use or the prior art elevating devices and which in use will elevate the ball relatively slowly and at a substantially uniform rate of speed. 50 Another object of the present invention is to provide a ball-elevating device which embodies means for overcoming or counteracting the tendency of the ball elevator or carrier to gather momentum and increase its speed as it moves toward the upper end of its stroke.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the new ball-elevating device;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a preferred form of the new ball-elevating device associated with a pin and marble game of conventional design; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of an electrical circuit embodied in the present invention.

A preferred embodiment of the new ball ele.- vating device is shown in the drawing, is therein generally indicated at I0, and is shown associated with a so-called pin and marble game of conventional design, said game including a cabinet II embodying an inclined playing board I2 onto the upper portion of which balls may be propelled in a manner which is well understood in the art. Arranged below the inclined playing board I2 is a ball return runway I3 by means of which balls may be conducted, from ballreceiving pockets provided in the inclined playing board I2, to the elevating device ID.

Provided in the inclined playing board I2 is an opening I4 (Fig. 2) and arranged above this opening I4 is a hood or ball-deilector I5 by means of which balls may be deected onto the inclined playing board I2, this structure as thus far described being substantially similar to that shown and described in the aforesaid MacDougall patent. Y

Having thus described, in general, the environment in which the new ball elevating device is used, the same will now be described in detail.

The new ball elevating device I0 comprises a substantially channel-shaped ball carrier I6 which is pivotally mounted adjacent one end, as at II, upon a suitable support I8 which is arranged in the cabinet I I below the inclined playing board I2. The ball carrier has an angled end portion or cam edge I9 which extends at an angle relative to the long aXis or main extent of the ball carrier I6, and engageable with this angled end portion or cam edge I9 of the ball carrier I6 is a member 20, having the form of a bolt, and this member 20 is adjustably mounted in, and forms an extension of, the movable element or armature 2l of an electromagnet 22 which is mounted in the cabinet II below the inclined playing board I2, this member 2| being pivotally mounted, adjacent Aits lower end, as at 23, and being urged, by a spring 24, in a direction away from the electromagnet 22 (clockwise, Fig. 2).

Provided in the ball carrier I6 is an opening 25 and normally projecting into this opening 25 is an angled portion 26 of a resilient contact 2l which is attached to, and is carrie-d by, the ball carrier I6. Likewise attached to and carried by the vball carrier I6 is a second contact 28, these contacts 2l and 28 forming a switch 29. This switch 29 and the electromagnet 22 are arranged in an electrical circuit 39 (Fig. 3), and this circuit 30 includes, in addition to these parts, a suitable source of current 3| which may be, for example, a battery of dry cells arranged in the cabinet Il.

The ball carrier I6 has a relatively free and angled end portion 32 which normally rests upon a suitable support 33 provided therefor in the cabinet II, and when the ball carrier I6 is disposed in its normal or initial position it is inclined slightly from the horizontal so that a ball traveling down the ball return runway I3 will run onto the ball carrier I6 and travel down to the lower end portion 32 of the same.

Operation When a ball traveling down the ball return runway I3 enters onto the ball carrier I6 it travels, by gravity, over the latter toward the lower end portion 32 of the same and in so doing passes over the angled portion 26 of the contact 21 which projects through the cut-out opening 25 which is formed in the ball carrier I6, thereby forcing the contact 2'I into yengagement with the contact 28 and thus closing the switch 29 and the circuit 30 in which the switch 29 is arranged.

When the switch 29 and the circuit 36 are thus closed, the electromagnet 22 is energized, and thereupon attracts its movable element or armature 2|, against the action of its resetting spring 24, and during this movement of the member 2| (counterclockwise, from full to dotted line position, Fig. 2) the extension or adjustable portion 20 thereof engages the angled end portion I9 of the ball carrier I6, thus pivoting the ball carrier I6, at I'I, in a direction (clockwise, from full to dotted line position, Fig. 2) to elevate a ball up through the opening I4 and hood I5 onto the inclined playing board I2.

Atthe start of the movement of the member 2I-26 and the ball carrier Iii-I9, it will be noted that the force applied by the member 2I-20 against the angled end portion I9 of the ball carrier I6 is applied near the lower end of the angled end portion of the ball carrier I6 and at a considerable distance from the fulcrum or pivot point II of the ball carrier I6. However, as the member 2I-2I) and the ball carrier I6|9 move through their eiiective or operative stroke (counterclockwise and clockwise, respectively, Fig. 2), the extension 20 of the member 2| approaches gradually closer to the fulcrum or pivot I'l of the ball carrier I6 and hence the force applied by the member 2|-2l'l against the angled end portion I9 of the ball carrier I 6 is thus applied relatively closer to the fulcrum I'I than at the beginning of the operation and hence the lever arm provided by the angled end portion I9 of the ball carrier I6 is gradually shortened as the member Ztl-2| and the ball carrier I6 move through their operative strokes and the extension 20 of the member 2| approaches closer to the fulcrum or point Il. In this manner the 4effective force or leverage, applied by the member 2I-2Il in the angled end portion I9 of the ball carrier is gradually reduced as the member 202| and the ball carrier IB-I9 move through their effective strokes and the extension 20 of the member 2| approaches closer to the fulcrum I'I, and in this manner the tendency of the ball carrier I6 to gather momentum and increase its speed is overcome and counteracted and the speed of .the ball carrier I6 is maintained substantially uniform and constant as it moves through its operative or ball-elevating stroke, and hence when the ball carrier I6 reaches the upper end of its stroke it is moving substantially at the same speed, or possibly somewhat slower, than at the start of its movement, and in this manner the ball disposed in the ball carrier I6 is discharged relatively slowly and not too rapidly onto the inclined playing board I2, thus overcoming the above-mentioned and other diiculties experienced in the use of the prior art elevating devices hereinbefore referred to.

It will be noted that the extension 20 of the member 2|, that is, the bolt 20, is adjustably mounted in the member 2| and by adjusting this member 20 either toward or away fromA the angled end portion I9 of the ball carrier I6 the arc through which the member 2| is moved, that is, the extent of the movement of the member 2| may be varied.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect this is capable of variation and modication, without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An elevating device for game apparatus comprising an article carrier mounted for pivotal movement and having an end portion directed at an angle thereto adjacent its point of pivotal support, and means for moving said article carrier in a direction to elevate an article carried thereby, said means including an electro-magnet having a pivoted armature, the said magnet being positioned relative to said article carrier in such manner that the said armature will contact the said end portion of the carrier and pivot the latter into elevated position, the point of contact of said armature on said end portion being at a lesser radial distance from said point of pivotal support when said carrier is at the end of its elevating stroke than the distance of said point of contact when the elevating stroke begins.

2. A ball elevating device for game apparatus and the like, said device comprising a pivotally mounted elevating arm having a lever arm extended at an angle thereto adjacent the pivotal mounting aforesaid, and means for pivoting said arm including an electro-magnet having a pivotally' movable armature adapted to contact said lever arm at decreasing radial distances from the said pivotal mounting of said carrier arm when the armature is attracted by said electromagnet whereby the pivoting force applied to said lever arm by said electro-magnet will be decreased as said carrier arm is moved in elevation operation.

3. A ball elevating device including a pivoted elevating arm having an oiset lever arm adjacentv `75 4. An elevating device including a pivotally mounted elevating arm adapted to be moved from a normal position into an elevated position and having an angularly disposed lever arm extended therefrom adjacent its pivoting point, together with means for pivoting said arm, said means including an electro-magnet having an armature attractable thereby to Contact said lever arm along a path increasingly closer to said pivoting point of said elevating arm as the 10 same approaches its aforesaid elevated position.

HARRY E. WILLIAMS. 

